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Reviews
The Vampire Next Door (2024)
Refreshing and good fun
When I hear about a low budget film my expectations usually drop through the floor because film makers tend to 'save' in the wrong areas.
I really enjoyed the feel of this movie. The lead roles are caricatured in a very 'American Pie' kind of way and I enjoyed the humour that came with the way they acted. It seemed less self-conscious than most of the Hollywood offerings.
The story won't have you leaping out of your seat but it was perfect for a fun night in and there were so many plusses that I was surprised by the low rating. There was one indoor fight scene that made me aware it was quite low budget, and that's no great loss compared to the unending yawn factor of the mano-a-mano end fight scenes in nearly every big budget film these days.
Other than that, I loved the fact that the places where the scenes were shot were thanked personally at the end and that all the music was specific for the film. I feel that if they had a limited budget, they really used the money in the right places. Great fun.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Surprised by the reactions!
I watched the first Matrix at the cinema when it came out and was blown away by its scope and quality. I absolutely loved it.
Like the John Wick films, I enjoyed Matrix 2 and 3 as entertainment, but they didn't carry the depth of the first film despite the intense visual impact of both.
So when I watched this I wasn't expecting much and yet it felt like a real return to the depth and quality of the first film. Neo and Trinity are refreshingly older - living mature lives back in the Matrix. This is such a change from the endless teen-action-drama of nearly every action film outside of Scandinavia! It is brilliant. There is a great mix of tongue in cheek humour and action, and the filming is far less generic as in the previous studio filmed pieces and way more fluid.
Lastly, for anyone who enjoyed Sense8 - they get a lot of the band back together - this was like a double win! I watched it, bought it, and watched it again. Fantastic.
Comments such as 'an insult to the viewer' and suggestions that this was physically painful to watch just shows how deep into the 'age of entitlement' we really are. This film has a maturity not necessarily shared by the viewers.
The Devil's Hour (2022)
Excellent
This great series reminded me of when I first saw 'Life on Mars'. It has the character engagement and slow burn of those great stories. Benjamin Chivers, as the young boy is phenomenal, a great little actor.
The plot isn't difficult to follow if you have a basic grasp of the idea of fate perhaps, but it doesn't lay the whole thing out for you at the beginning like a kids book. - It keeps you guessing and re-evaluating. That is one of the reasons I found this so refreshing. The series slowly pulls all these disjointed pieces together for a great finale.
Excellent writing, great acting, absolute binge worthy material. Highly recommended!
Jigeum uri hakgyoneun (2022)
Truly excellent - Zombie apocalypse meets the Breakfast Club - Awesome!
I absolutely loved this series, and I've not been a great follower of Korean films to date. It isn't as gory as some zombie films, if that's what you are looking for. But the character development was fantastic.
The series had great pacing, brilliant performances especially from the young cast, and I haven't been able to lose myself in a series like this since G. O. T.
Well worth a watch.
Ah-ga-ssi (2016)
Inspired by 'Fingersmith'
This is an excellent film, beautifully shot. There are several, fairly graphic sex scenes which tend to polarise viewers, but the quality of the photography and the character development is just wonderful. By turns erotic, humorous or terrifying, its a very well told story. The funniest moments are delivered dead-pan and I just found the characterisation refreshingly honest.
Few people mention that it is based on the novel 'Fingersmith'. A very good BBC adaption of this was filmed in 2002 with Sally Hawkins and Elaine Cassidy. This version does reframe the story beautifully within a Korean/Japanese cultural framework and this brings a lot to the tale. Recommended.
Shining Girls (2022)
Refreshingly different
I just finished watching this show and felt I must write a review.
I don't particularly like the characters Elizabeth Moss plays, but she really does choose the most creative and 'thinking outside of the box' scripts. This show is no different. And, true to form, she also plays another brilliantly independent, strong female character.
This show promises something spooky, weird, mind-bending... and thankfully doesn't bottle out. It doesn't sink into a mundane cop-out explanation at the end and pulls everything together in a very satisfying manner - truly great writing. They even managed to avoid having to put in a 'love triangle' or 'single parent trying to bond with angry teenage child'. It is so rare to get something a little new I would definitely recommend this.
Outer Range (2022)
Bizarre!
There is a really good premise to this drama, which unfolds quite nicely during the season. There are also some very fine actors in it.
However, I don't know if this appeals more to rural America, but the characters have almost no vocabulary, they all seem to have quite serious mental issues and as another reviewer noted, there is no one here who I liked enough to care about.
They grunt, huff and mumble their way through hours of nonsense like a bad Lovecraft tale, staring off into the distance. I wouldn't be waiting for a second season, I just worry that life might actually appear this confusing to some people!
I Am Greta (2020)
Unexpectedly good.
I watched this film expecting to see something cobbled together to ride on the wave of this fascinating young woman. The film however, is so much more. It isn't amateur (especially not compared to 'Breach' (Anti life) with Bruce Willis which I was watching before. I put this on to feel I had not wasted an evening and was captivated.
It isn't a political platform and it isn't going to try and explain all the science behind climate change - do that on your own time. This is about who Greta is, what motivated her, and how a young girl changed herself, then changed what she ate, what she wore and how she travelled. And finally went on to change the world.
It shows the 'green washing' and the building frustration as politicians paraded her around for selfies as they failed to take on board the growing concerns of the people. And it explains the build up to the 'How dare you' speech. It is like watching a biopic of Gandhi for the 21st century.How she deals with the pressure and the vitriol that so called 'adults' hurl at her needs to be seen to be believed.
Its a great film, an emotional and ethical journey. I would highly recommend it. It will have you researching afterwards so watch it early in the evening!
Black Mirror: Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too (2019)
Pink is the new Black!
I'm not into teen films, and I wonder if the negative reviews are from people over compensating. This is a good bit of fun, still intelligent, still out there - and shock, horror, less negative than usual. As someone else commented, it was nice to watch something that still looks at the world sideways, but for once, not so depressing. Great episode, well worth a watch.